ii8 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



grelli, Conrad, and Dupin, the reporter of the com- 

 mission of the Academie des Sciences." 



To M. de Negrelli, Vienna. 



" PABIS, September 14, 1858. 



" Since my return here I have been devoting my 

 whole time to the establishment of agencies for the 

 company abroad and in France, as well as of schedul- 

 ing the private subscriptions which have been sent to 

 me, and which already reach 3,200,000. The 

 adversaries of the enterprise, our faithful allies over 

 the water, have already lost their two first campaigns 

 as to the impossibility of making the canal and the 

 hostilities of the Porte. All their efforts are now 

 directed to deterring their compatriots from sub- 

 scribing to it, because, in their innate pride and 

 insular ignorance, they believe that their example will 

 prevent other nations from investing money in it. We 

 are now in course of destroying their last illusions. 



" The Emperor is in favour of subordinating the 

 political question to the organisation of the company, 

 which will be strong enough to withstand opposition, 

 and which the Continental governments will be in a 

 position to support if needful. This seems to me 

 very prudent, and is quite in keeping with my view 

 as to government intervention, which should follow 

 if the necessity for it arises, and not precede the 

 execution of a commercial and industrial enterprise. 



" The main thing is that I am assured that my 



